A conventional coating film transfer tool comprises a supply core and a take-up core, both rotatably supported within a case having a transfer head. A coating film on a base tape is supplied as a winding on the supply core. The base tape is unwound from the supply core, passes over the transfer head, and is wound onto the take-up core as the transfer head moves over a receiving surface. As the transfer head move over the receiving surface, the coating film is transferred from the base tape onto the receiving surface
A coating film transfer tool functions efficiently when erasing relatively long sections of print, for example, a section containing more than ten letters. However, when a small section of written matter, consisting of only one or a few letters is to be erased, it is difficult to adjust the length of the transfer tape to the length of the section to be erased. Consequently, the coating film is commonly transferred to an area that does not need to be erased, or the length of the transferred film is insufficient to cover section to be erased. In such case, it is necessary to remove, or add, coating film, and excessive time is consumed in effecting erasure of the unwanted written matter.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 264588/2002, 227386/1999, and 19914/2001 disclose stamp-type coating film transfer tools, which transfer a coating film onto a receiving surface by pressing a transfer head downwards to correct a single letter or a small, well-defined area. The coating film transfer tools disclosed in Japanese patent publications 227386/1999, and 19914/2001 not only transfer the coating film onto the receiving surface by pressing, but also transfer the coating film by moving the tool parallel to the receiving surface as in the case of a conventional coating tape transfer tool. The stamp-type pressing transfer tool can securely erase letters within a fixed area, since the width of the transfer head corresponds to that of a coating film transfer surface.
Because the stamp-type pressing transfer tool has a large transfer surface area, it is difficult to apply pressing force evenly over the receiving surface, and it is difficult, and often impossible, to achieve fine transfer resolution. In addition, since the transfer head is in the shape of a box, corresponding to the size of the transfer surface which transfers the coating film onto the receiving surface, it is difficult to check whether the transfer head is over the targeted letters or area until the transfer head is pressed down onto the receiving surface. Moreover, when using a stamp-typed pressing transfer tool as a conventional transfer tool, which transfers a coating film by moving parallel to a receiving surface, it is difficult to cut the coating film cleanly by raising the transfer head, because of the large cohesive forces acting on the coating film. As a result, the coating film can be dragged to an area of the receiving surface to which the transfer head was not applied. In order to avoid undesired dragging of the coating film, it is necessary to control the breaking strength and elongation rate of the coating film, as disclosed, for example in Japanese patent publication 19914/2001. However, controlling the breaking strength and elongation rate of a coating film leads to manufacturing complications and excessive manufacturing cost.
An object of this invention is to provide a coating film transfer tool in which a coating film is transferred by pressing the transfer head onto a receiving surface and moving the tool parallel to the receiving surface, and which is capable of erasing written matter over a predetermined distance, and which is capable of erasing very small sections of written matter easily and securely.